One state ranking 43rd in the country in nursing home care also received an F grade for its staffing levels. The low grades have led to a proposed bill to require a certain staffing ratio in nursing homes for certified nursing assistants to patients. The bill is receiving support and controversy from various audiences.

A former nursing home administrator has been accused of stealing over 1800 hydrocodone tablets. The medication tablets were discontinued and ready to be destroyed. An audit of the medication revealed the tablets had not been logged properly.

Efforts to reduce unnecessary hospital visits for nursing home patients are still under way three years after an initiative began promoting reduction of hospitalizations.  The study has left the issue still at large. Patients may be sent due to a lack of knowledge of symptoms, fear of lawsuits, family members requiring it, or incentives for reimbursements.

A nursing home patient died after years of spending time at a nursing home. However, the time leading up to her death involved two falls and an “unstageable” pressure ulcer. The patient was known to be a high fall risk and at risk for pressure ulcers.  The family believes the fall and the fractured hip sustained due to the fall were preventable.

A former nursing home bookkeeper has been sentenced to 1 year probation and 16 month suspended sentence. Charges were brought for theft and computer tampering. The bookkeeper wrote checks from patient trust accounts in the amount of $4,068 using the nursing home computer system.

A nursing home facility is still working to improve its quality care level after receiving a fine exceeding $1 million. The fine came from 35 deficiencies identified in the home during a survey of the nursing home. The deficiencies involved unclean bathrooms, medication errors, neglect of patients, among others.  The facility was able to clear its subsequent survey, however, the nursing home was threatened with the initial decision to remove reimbursement funding from the facility.